I've Got a Woman

About this song

Ray Charles released "I've Got a Woman" as a single in December 1954, after recording it in November at the studio of Georgia Tech's radio station WGST in Atlanta. The song topped the R&B chart in 1955 and was later named to several best-of lists, including Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1990.

What it's about

The song is a secular rewrite of the hymn "It Must Be Jesus", turning its devotional theme toward a romantic one.

Fun facts

• Sampled in 8 other songs, like “American Jesus by Dean Gray”.
• Covered 23 times, including “I Got a Woman by Johnny Hallyday”.
• Written by Ray Charles and Renald Richard.
• Produced by Jerry Wexler.